Live updates: Ohio Senate Republican primary results, other state elections | CNN Politics

CNN projects Trump-endorsed Moreno wins key Ohio GOP Senate primary

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By Elise Hammond and Aditi Sangal, CNN
Updated 12:58 AM EDT, Wed March 20, 2024
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Hear what Bernie Moreno said after Ohio GOP Senate projected primary win
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What we covered here

Our live coverage has ended. Read more about Tuesday’s primaries in the posts below.

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Here's a recap of what happened in Ohio's key Senate primary and other state contests 

From CNN staff
Voters fill out their ballots at a polling station in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, on Tuesday, March 19.
Voters fill out their ballots at a polling station in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, on Tuesday, March 19.
Dustin Franz/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who is seeking a fourth term, is set to face Bernie Moreno in November after CNN projected the Cleveland businessman’s victory in the state’s Republican primary. Donald Trump had endorsed Moreno, and the primary was this year’s first test of the former president’s clout in a contested Senate race. 

It was the key race to watch Tuesday night as President Joe Biden and Trump continued to pick up delegates in their respective presidential primaries in Arizona, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Trump also won Florida’s GOP presidential primary. The candidates had already secured last week the threshold of delegates needed to clinch their party nominations.

Here’s a recap of what happened Tuesday in House primary contests, some of which could help decide the balance of power in Congress:

Ohio:

  • 9th District: Trump-backed Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin will win the Republican nomination, CNN projects, setting up what is likely to be a highly competitive general election against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history.
  • 6th District: Michael Rulli will win the Republican primaries for the regular election and the special election, CNN projects. He will be the heavy favorite against Democrat Michael Kripchak in both the June 11 special election and the November general election. Republicans are eager to fill the seat given their narrow margin in the chamber, which has at times made it difficult to advance legislative priorities.
  • Ohio’s 13th District: Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes will face off against former Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin. Sykes, a former minority leader in the Ohio House, was unopposed in her primary while Coughlin, who had the backing of Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, easily won a three-way GOP contest. Read about other Ohio down-ballot races here and here.

California:

  • 20th District: Trump-backed Republican state Assemblyman Vince Fong will advance to the special general election for the seat vacated by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, CNN projects. A majority of the vote was needed to avoid a second round on May 21. The second spot in the special general election for the San Joaquin Valley seat is too early to call. Under California’s election system, all candidates in the special election, regardless of party, ran on the same ballot.

Illinois:

  • 7th District: Longtime Democratic Rep. Danny Davis will win his primary, CNN projects, fending off four challengers in his bid for a 15th term in this deep-blue seat in the Chicago area. 
  • 17th District: Retired judge Joe McGraw will win the Republican nomination, CNN projects, advancing to take on Democratic incumbent Eric Sorensen in a seat the GOP is targeting this fall.
  • 12th District: The competitive Republican primary between incumbent Mike Bost and former state Sen. Darren Bailey for a conservative southern Illinois seat remained too early to call just after midnight Wednesday. Read about the state’s other down-ballot races here.

Moreno thanks Trump and bashes Sen. Sherrod Brown in victory speech

From CNN's Aaron Pellish
Bernie Moreno speaks to supporters during his primary election night watch party in Westlake, Ohio, on Tuesday.
Bernie Moreno speaks to supporters during his primary election night watch party in Westlake, Ohio, on Tuesday.
David Dermer/AP

In his victory speech Tuesday evening, Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno thanked former President Donald Trump profusely following his projected victory in the state’s primary.

Moreno said he spoke with his primary opponent, state Sen. Matt Dolan, who he said “congratulated me very graciously,” and thanked another opponent, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, for “running a good race.”

The Cleveland businessman also attacked Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown as a left-wing career politician, saying he betrayed middle class workers and supported “unfettered immigration.”

CNN Projection: Trump-backed Republican will advance to special general election for McCarthy's seat

From CNN's Kaanita Iyer and Ethan Cohen
Vince Fong speaks at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, in June 2023.
Vince Fong speaks at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, in June 2023.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP/File

The special election for the California seat that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vacated in December will head to a second round, CNN projects.

Republican state Assemblyman Vince Fong will advance to May 21 contest in California’s 20th District, CNN projects, failing to win the majority necessary to win the San Joaquin Valley seat outright. The second spot is too early to call.

Fong, a former McCarthy aide, has already qualified for the November general election against fellow Republican Mike Boudreaux, the Tulare County sheriff, after they emerged as the top two vote-getters in the regular primary election on March 5.

Under California’s election system, all candidates run on the same ballot, regardless of party.

Besides the support of his former boss, Fong had the support of former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson.  

McCarthy resigned from the House in December following his ouster as speaker. Republicans are eager to fill the seat given their narrow margin in the chamber, which has at times made it difficult to advance legislative priorities.  

The winner of the special election will serve through January 3, 2025, when the victor in the November general election will be sworn in.   

This post has been updated with additional details on the special general election.

CNN Projection: Biden and Trump win respective Ohio, Illinois, Kansas and Arizona primaries  

From CNN staff

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will win their respective presidential primaries in Ohio, Illinois, Kansas and Arizona, CNN projects, as the candidates gear up for a November rematch.  

Trump will also win the Florida GOP presidential primary, CNN projects.

Biden and Trump won enough delegates last week to clinch their parties’ presidential nominations. Neither will officially become the nominee until the national conventions vote this summer. 

This post has been updated with additional CNN presidential primary projections.

It's 11 p.m. ET and polls are closing in California's special primary

From CNN's Ethan Cohen and Molly English

It’s 11 p.m. ET and polls are closing in California’s 20th district, where voters are filling the vacant seat of former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who resigned from the House in December.

Former President Donald Trump-endorsed California assemblyman Vince Fong, a former McCarthy aide, and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, both Republicans, are top contenders in the contest.

They finished first and second in the March 5 regular primary for the seat and regardless of the results in the special, they’ll face off for a full-term in November.

Among the other candidates on the ballot are:

  • Democrat Marisa Wood, who lost to McCarthy in 2022 and finished third in the regular primary
  • Republican business owner Kyle Kirkland, who is second to Fong in fundraising but came up fourth in the regular primary with just 4.2% of the vote.

The district, which covers parts of California’s Central Valley between Fresno and Bakersfield, voted for Trump by nearly 25 percentage points in 2020.

More about the primary: Like in typical California primaries, all candidates are running on the same ballot, with the top two advancing to the special general election on May 21. However, unlike in regular California elections, if the top candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in the primary, they’re automatically elected to the seat and no general election is held. The winner of the race will serve the remainder of McCarthy’s term, which ends in January 2025. 

CNN projection: Republican Michael Rulli wins special and regular primaries for open GOP seat

From CNN's Shania Shelton and Andrew Menezes
Ohio Sen. Michael Rulli speaks with colleagues at the Ohio State House Senate Chambers in Columbus, Ohio, on February 28.
Ohio Sen. Michael Rulli speaks with colleagues at the Ohio State House Senate Chambers in Columbus, Ohio, on February 28.
Joe Maiorana/AP/File

Michael Rulli will win the Republican primaries for the regular election and the special election in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District, CNN projects, putting the state senator in pole position to succeed former GOP Rep. Bill Johnson.  

Earlier this year, Johnson vacated the deep-red seat, which stretches along Ohio’s eastern border with West Virginia and Pennsylvania, to take a job as president of Youngstown State University. 

Rulli, a state senator from the Youngstown area, had the endorsement of former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, Ohio Rep. David Joyce, who represents a neighboring district, and the US Chamber of Commerce. 

He will be the heavy favorite against Democrat Michael Kripchak in both the June 11 special election and the November general election for the 6th District, which former President Donald Trump would have carried under its current lines by 28 points in 2020. Kripchak won both Democratic primary contests Tuesday.

The winner of the June special election will serve out the remainder of Johnson’s term through January 2025.  

Republicans are eager to fill the seat given their narrow margin in the chamber, which has at times made it difficult to advance legislative priorities. 

Ohio’s 2nd District

Rulli isn’t the only Ohio Republican seen as likely heading to Congress after winning a primary Tuesday in a deep-red seat.

Businessman David Taylor will win the GOP nomination in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, CNN projects, putting him on a glide path to succeed retiring Republican Brad Wenstrup in the southern Ohio seat.  

Wenstrup, who was first elected in 2012, announced his retirement last fall, citing the “frantic pace of Washington” that has kept him away from his family back home. 

Among the 10 Republicans Taylor bested in the primary Tuesday was Derek Myers, a former local journalist whose campaign sent out a prepared concession statement hours before any election results had been released.

Myers said later that his campaign had prepared two statements, one in case he lost and a second if he won, and the former was “sent in error as it was being loaded into the media distribution portal, as a draft.”

Myers officially conceded the race about an hour and half after polls closed.

CNN projection: Fall matchup set in Illinois' only competitive House election

From CNN's Kaanita Iyer and Andrew Menezes

Retired Judge Joe McGraw will win the Republican nomination in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, CNN projects, advancing to take on Democratic incumbent Eric Sorensen in a seat the GOP is targeting this fall.  

The 17th District, which snakes from Rockford through the Iowa border and down to Peoria and Bloomington, was drawn by Illinois Democrats to favor their party — Joe Biden would have carried it under its current lines by 8 points in 2020. But Sorensen won the seat in 2022 by roughly half that margin.

The general election in the 17th District is expected to be the lone competitive House race in Illinois this fall with the rest of the seats seen as safe for either party.

Sorensen, a former Rockford and Quad Cities meteorologist, was the first out gay person elected to Congress from Illinois. He succeeded Rep. Cheri Bustos, a former chair of the House Democratic campaign arm.

What to watch for in California's special election to fill Kevin McCarthy's vacant House seat

From CNN's Ethan Cohen and Molly English

California is holding a special primary election in the 20th Congressional District to fill the vacant seat of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who resigned from the chamber in December. Polls are set to close at 11 p.m. ET.

Like in typical California primaries, all candidates will run on the same ballot, with the top two advancing to the special general election on May 21.

However, unlike in regular California elections, if the top candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in the primary, they’re automatically elected to the seat and no general election is held. The winner of the race will serve the remainder of McCarthy’s term, which ends in January 2025. 

Two candidates on the ballot in Tuesday’s special election — Republicans Vince Fong and Mike Boudreaux — will face off in the general election in November for the district’s full term. That primary was held earlier this month.

What to watch for:

  • Fong, a Trump-endorsed California assemblyman, and Boudreaux, Tulare County’s sheriff, are top contenders in Tuesday’s contest.
  • Among the other candidates on the ballot are Democrat Marisa Wood, who lost to McCarthy in 2022 and finished third in the regular primary, and Republican business owner Kyle Kirkland.
  • The district covers parts of California’s Central Valley between Fresno and Bakersfield. It voted for Trump by nearly 25 percentage points in 2020. 

It's 10 p.m. ET and polls are closing in Arizona

From CNN's Ethan Cohen and Molly English
A sign points voters to a polling location as Arizonans cast their ballot on primary election day on Tuesday in Guadalupe, Arizona.
A sign points voters to a polling location as Arizonans cast their ballot on primary election day on Tuesday in Guadalupe, Arizona.
Ross D. Franklin/AP

It’s 10 p.m. ET, which means polls are closing in Arizona’s presidential primaries.

The state, which is a key battleground state, helped deliver Joe Biden his 2020 win, and then helped Democrats win control of the Senate in 2020 and maintain it in 2022. Biden won Arizona by a margin of less than 11,000 votes.

What to know about the state demographics:

  • In the 2020 general presidential election, 39% of the electorate identified as independents, and Biden won that demographic with 53% of the vote.
  • Latinos constituted 19% of the electorate in 2020, compared to 15% in 2016, 18% in 2012 and 16% in 2008.

Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, is home to a majority of Arizona’s registered voters. It has a sizable high-tech economy. The largely white-collar county traditionally leaned Republican. However, in 2020, the county accounted for 61% of the presidential electorate and Biden won 50% of those voters.

Democratic votes can be found in the university community of Tempe and in Phoenix’s Latino community. Aside from Maricopa County, Pima County — home to Tucson — often tilts Democratic as well.

This Arizona race could tip control of the Senate this fall

From CNN's David Wright

A key 2024 Senate race is unfolding in Arizona — starting with Tuesday’s primary.

Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced that she will not run for reelection, setting up what is likely to be a general election race between Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican candidate Kari Lake.

Gallego is the only candidate in the key race with a significant presence on the air so far as both parties appear locked in on their nominees ahead of today’s primary. He has spent about $2 million so far in advertising.

Gallego, a Phoenix-area representative since his election to the House in 2014, has spent those millions reintroducing himself to voters across the state, running campaign ads recounting his biography, including his military service, and touching on key issues for Democratic voters, in particular abortion rights.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Gallego after Sinema announced her decision, signaling that Democratic party leaders are backing Gallego in one of the races that could decide control of the Senate seats this fall. 

On the GOP side, 2022 gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake appears poised to secure the party’s 2024 Senate nomination and has not been advertising much. Her campaign has spent about $100,000 on ads, with one TV ad focused on illegal immigration while praising former President Donald Trump.

CNN’s Melanie Zanona, Kristin Wilson and Jeremy Herb contributed reporting to this post.

CNN projection: Republicans pick Derek Merrin to take on longtime Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur

From CNN's Michelle Shen
Ohio Rep. Derek Merrin stands at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio on April 10, 2019.
Ohio Rep. Derek Merrin stands at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio on April 10, 2019.
Brooke LaValley/The Columbus Dispatch/AP

Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin will win the Republican nomination for the state’s 9th Congressional District, CNN projects, setting up what is likely to be a highly competitive general election against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history.  

Merrin, who received a late endorsement from former President Donald Trump, advanced out of a crowded field that included former state Rep. Craig Riedel. Riedel was originally seen as the party favorite in the primary for this Toledo-anchored seat, which includes Toledo, but he lost significant support after he was caught on tape criticizing Trump.  

Party leaders then scrambled to recruit a new candidate who was seen as both sufficiently pro-Trump and viable in the general election, ultimately settling on Merrin.

Republicans, who are defending a narrow House majority, are eyeing the 9th District seat as a pickup opportunity, given that Trump would have narrowly carried it under its present lines in 2020. 

The district gained the national spotlight in 2022 when Republican nominee J.R. Majewski, an ardent Trump supporter and a January 6, 2021, rally participant, faced allegations that he repeatedly shared pro-QAnon material and misrepresented his military service.  

Majewski, who ended up losing by a wide margin to Kaptur, ran for the seat again this cycle. But he dropped out of the primary earlier this month after making derogatory comments about people with mental disabilities. Kaptur, who was unopposed in her primary Tuesday, was first elected to Congress in 1982. She is among just five House Democrats who represent districts that would have backed Trump four years ago. 

Republicans are targeting two other Democratic-held seats in the Buckeye State:

Ohio’s 1st District: Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman and Republican Army veteran Orlando Souza will meet in the general election for this Cincinnati-area seat. Both were unopposed in their primaries Tuesday.

Ohio’s 13th District: Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes will face off against former Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin. Sykes, a former minority leader in the Ohio House, was unopposed in her primary while Coughlin, who had the backing of Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, easily won a three-way GOP contest for this northeast Ohio seat, which includes Akron and Canton.

CNN’s Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju contributed reporting for this post.

CNN Projections: Illinois Democratic incumbents easily beat back primary challengers

From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Jack Forrest and Kaanita Iyer
Illinois Rep. Danny Davis greets Miles Durosinmi, 7, after voting at Sankofa Cultural Arts & Business center in Chicago, Tuesday, March 19.
Illinois Rep. Danny Davis greets Miles Durosinmi, 7, after voting at Sankofa Cultural Arts & Business center in Chicago, Tuesday, March 19.
Nam Y. Huh/AP

Several House Democrats in Illinois’ congressional delegation will easily beat back primary challengers Tuesday, CNN projects. These lawmakers represent safely blue seats in the Chicago area and will be heavily favored for reelection in November.

Illinois’ 4th District: Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García will win the Democratic primary, CNN projects, overcoming a challenge from Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez. A longtime fixture in Illinois politics, García is seeking a fourth term in this Hispanic-majority seat. Lopez, who is Mexican American like the incumbent, struck a more centrist tone on the campaign trail and had the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune editorial board.  

Illinois’ 6th District: Rep. Sean Casten will win the Democratic nomination for a fourth term, CNN projects. Two years ago, Casten defeated progressive Rep. Marie Newman in the primary after the two were drawn into the same suburban seat following redistricting. Newman backed progressive candidate Mahnoor Ahmad in her challenge to Casten this year.  

Illinois’ 7th District: Longtime Democratic Rep. Danny Davis will win his primary, CNN projects, fending off four challengers in his bid for a 15th term in this deep-blue Chicago seat. For the third straight election, Davis, 82, was challenged by progressive activist Kina Collins. Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin also launched a bid for the seat. Davis was first elected to the US House in 1996. He previously served on the Chicago City Council and the Cook County Commission.  

Illinois’ 11th District: Democratic Rep. Bill Foster will win his primary, CNN projects, fending off a challenge from his left. Foster faced lawyer Qasim Rashid, a progressive who made the war in Gaza a key campaign platform. Since Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, Democrats have grappled with criticism of President Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict and the impact it could have on the November election. Foster, who was first elected to Congress in 2008, is seeking a ninth full term in November.

Key things to know about Bernie Moreno, the Trump-endorsed candidate projected to win Ohio's Senate primary

From CNN's David Wright and Simone Pathe
Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, left, and Bernie Moreno, US Republican Senate candidate for Ohio, right, during an event at the Cuyahoga County GOP headquarters in Independence, Ohio, on Tuesday, March 19.
Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, left, and Bernie Moreno, US Republican Senate candidate for Ohio, right, during an event at the Cuyahoga County GOP headquarters in Independence, Ohio, on Tuesday, March 19.
Dustin Franz/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Bernie Moreno, an Ohio businessman, will take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a fall election that will be crucial to deciding Senate control, CNN projects. It’s likely to be one of the most competitive races of the upcoming cycle.

Here are key things to know about the Republican challenger endorsed by former President Donald Trump:

  • He is an immigrant: He was born in Colombia and made a fortune from car dealerships. Moreno has leaned into his background as an immigrant “who came here legally” and pitched himself as an “outsider” who hasn’t held political office and can unseat a three-term incumbent.
  • He also leaned heavily on his Trump backing: The former president was omnipresent in his campaign’s advertising. “MAGA alert: President Trump wants you to vote for outsider businessman Bernie Moreno,” said one of the campaign’s final ads, which reminded voters just tuning in who had the most coveted endorsement in Republican primaries. “Trump endorsed Bernie Moreno for Senate.”
  • He once called Trump a “fake Republican”: As CNN’s KFile reported earlier this year, Moreno once said there was “no scenario” in which he would support Trump and called him a “fake Republican.”
  • He ran an unsuccessful Senate campaign in 2022: He loaned his campaign millions from his personal fortune before dropping out of the race ahead of the primary. His decision to drop out came after a meeting with Trump, who would go on to endorse one of his rivals, J.D. Vance.
  • This primary race has been expensive: The former president’s support of Moreno didn’t initially lock things up for the Cleveland businessman in what became one of the most expensive races of the cycle so far. Trump made a last-minute trip to the state over the weekend to help his preferred candidate get over the finish line.
  • Democrats view it as a win: Moreno’s win is also a victory of sorts for Democrats, whose spending in the race suggested they viewed him as the weakest candidate against Brown. An outside group affiliated with Senate Democrats’ top super PAC ran ads propping him up over state Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

Arizona is a key battleground where Trump lost to Biden by less than 11,000 votes. Here's what to know

From CNN's Ethan Cohen and Molly English
Votes are counted by staff at the Maricopa County Elections Department office on November 5, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Votes are counted by staff at the Maricopa County Elections Department office on November 5, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Courtney Pedroza/Getty Images

Arizona, which is holding presidential primaries today, is a key battleground state that helped deliver Joe Biden his 2020 win, and then helped Democrats win control of the Senate in 2020 and maintain it in 2022.

In 2016, Donald Trump carried the state by more than 91,000 votes over Hillary Clinton. But in 2020, Biden won Arizona by a margin of less than 11,000 votes, making him the first Democratic nominee to win Arizona since Bill Clinton in 1996.

What to know about the state demographics:

  • In the 2020 general presidential election, 39% of the electorate identified as independents, and Biden won that demographic with 53% of the vote.
  • Latinos constituted 19% of the electorate in 2020, compared to 15% in 2016, 18% in 2012 and 16% in 2008.

A closer look at the electorate in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix:

  • It is home to a majority of Arizona’s registered voters.
  • Largely white collar and home to a sizable high-tech economy, the county traditionally leaned Republican.
  • However, in 2020, the county accounted for 61% of the presidential electorate and Biden won 50% of those voters.
  • In 2016, the county made up 60% of the votes cast and Trump won the county 48% to 45%.
  • Democratic votes can be found in the university community of Tempe and in Phoenix’s Latino community.

Pima County, home to Tucson, often tilts Democratic as well.

CNN Projection: Trump’s pick Bernie Moreno will win GOP Senate primary in Ohio

From CNN's Simone Pathe
Cleveland businessman and Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno speaks prior to remarks from republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally Saturday, March 16, in Vandalia, Ohio.
Cleveland businessman and Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno speaks prior to remarks from republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally Saturday, March 16, in Vandalia, Ohio.
Jeff Dean/AP

Bernie Moreno will win the Republican Senate primary in Ohio, CNN projects, a victory for the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump, who had endorsed the Cleveland businessman in the three-way contest.  

Moreno will take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a fall election that will be crucial to deciding Senate control. As one of two Democrats running for reelection in a state Trump twice carried, Brown is a top target for Republicans looking to pick up the one or two seats they need to flip the chamber, depending on who wins the White House.  

Tuesday’s GOP primary was this year’s first test of Trump’s clout in a contested Senate race. The former president backed Moreno in December at the urging of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, but his stamp of approval didn’t initially lock things up for Moreno in what became one of the most expensive races of the cycle so far. Trump made a last-minute trip to the state over the weekend to help his preferred candidate get over the finish line. 

Sen. Sherrod Brown looks ahead to the "toughest race" in November

From Jeff Zeleny in Columbus, Ohio
Sen. Sherrod Brown during a hearing in Washington, DC, on Thursday, March 7. 
Sen. Sherrod Brown during a hearing in Washington, DC, on Thursday, March 7. 
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Sen. Sherrod Brown is one of the last Democrats standing in Ohio – and the only one to hold a statewide office here. As he seeks a fourth term in the Senate while Ohio turns increasingly red, he knows he is facing the most challenging headwinds of nearly a half-century in elected office

Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine knows, however, that running against Brown is no easy feat. He himself lost his Senate seat in 2006 by double digits to Brown, who at the time was a congressman.

“He’s very, very good at campaigning. He’s going to be tough to beat. Can he be beaten? Absolutely. Matt Dolan is by far the strongest person to do it,” DeWine told CNN, expressing confidence in Matt Dolan, a state senator, who he has endorsed.

There’s no question Ohio’s Senate race will be competitive in November, but just how competitive may be determined by the outcome tonight.

Biden tells Arizona Latinos he needs their vote in November

From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Joe Biden arrives for a campaign event at El Portal restaurant on Tuesday in Phoenix.
President Joe Biden arrives for a campaign event at El Portal restaurant on Tuesday in Phoenix.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

President Joe Biden heralded the importance of the Latino vote and railed against former President Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric during a Tuesday visit in the battleground state of Arizona.

While celebrating the launch of the “Latinos Con Biden-Harris” coalition at a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix, the president reiterated how critical the Latino turnout was to his victory in 2020, and said he needs the community to do the same this year.

Biden pointed to Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric: “This is a guy who … [in] 2016 he called Latinos criminals, drug dealers and rapists. … Now he says immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country. What the hell is he talking about?”

He drew a contrast to that as he highlighted his accomplishments in office. “Because we turned out in 2020, we achieved the lowest unemployment rate for Latinos in a long, long time. We cut Hispanic child poverty to record lows. We lowered health care costs. We made historic investments in Latino small businesses, and we addressed gun violence in communities.”

The visit comes as Biden takes his reelection pitch to a pair of Western battleground states this week, heading to Nevada and Arizona to shore up support in key states he’s looking to defend.

Why Ohio's GOP primary is a test for Trump

From CNN's Simone Pathe, Jeff Zeleny and Aaron Pellish
Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan.
Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan.
USA Today Network, AP

Ohio’s Republican Senate primary – this year’s first test of Donald Trump’s clout in a contested Senate race – will help determine a key question this fall: What is the fate of Sen. Sherrod Brown and the Democratic majority?

“Are we ready to win and retire Sherrod Brown from Ohio politics?” state Sen. Matt Dolan, one of three Republican rivals locked in the bitter primary, asked supporters Monday night in Columbus.

Yet for all of the GOP’s focus on trying to defeat Brown in November, there was far more conversation about Trump and a weekend rally near Dayton that reverberated on the eve of the election.

The former president’s warnings about a “bloodbath” for the auto industry largely overshadowed the reason for his Buckeye State rally, which was to pull his preferred candidate, businessman Bernie Moreno, over the finish line.

Trump’s involvement in this race is noteworthy because national Republicans – who decided to play in primaries this year, in part to avoid the kinds of candidates who emerged as flawed general election nominees in 2022 – have stayed out of this one.

Despite already having clinched the GOP presidential nomination last week, Trump has a lot on the line in Ohio on Tuesday.

Read more on how the GOP primary could shape Senate control this fall.

It's 8 p.m. ET. Polls are closing in Florida, Illinois and Kansas

From CNN's Ethan Cohen and Molly English
A poll worker prepares a voting booth as he waits for voters to arrive at the Miami Beach Fire Station 4 to cast their ballot during the primary on March 19 in Miami Beach, Florida. 
A poll worker prepares a voting booth as he waits for voters to arrive at the Miami Beach Fire Station 4 to cast their ballot during the primary on March 19 in Miami Beach, Florida. 
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

It’s 8 p.m. ET and polls are closing in Florida, where a GOP presidential primary is being held. While it was once a key presidential battleground state with record-close elections, Florida has become a more consistently Republican state in both state and federal elections.

Donald Trump improved his standing with Latinos in the Sunshine State in the last election. In 2016, Latinos made up 18% of the presidential electorate, and Trump won 35% of them. In 2020, the demographic made up 19% of the Florida electorate, and Trump won 46% of the group.

There is no Florida Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Polling is also closing in Illinois. The state is holding down-ballot primaries, including for the US House, along with its presidential contests. Illinois has increasingly become a solid Democratic state in presidential politics. Democrats have fared better here than nearly anywhere else nationwide in every presidential election since 1980.

Democratic strength in Illinois is especially driven by support in Chicago, while Republicans do better in the areas outside of Chicago and the so-called collar counties. Central and Southern Illinois are especially friendly areas for Republicans.

Most polls also closed at 8 p.m. ET in the presidential primaries in Kansas, though a few will close at 9 p.m. ET because of varying time zones. Republicans have carried Kansas in 20 of the last 21 presidential elections, dating to 1940. 

How delegates select nominees at conventions

From CNN staff
Delegates attend the 1956 Republican National Convention held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, in 1956.
Delegates attend the 1956 Republican National Convention held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, in 1956.
Phil Burchman/Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have already secured enough delegates to become their party’s presumptive presidential nominees, but it won’t be official until the conventions this summer.

The Republican National Convention is scheduled to be held July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Democratic National Convention will be held August 19-22 in Chicago. Delegates at both these conventions will formally select their parties’ nominees, who will then face off in November’s presidential election.

Here’s how the delegates work:

What is a delegate: Performing well in primaries and caucuses equals delegates, and the larger goal is amassing the magic number of delegates to secure a nomination before delegate voting at the party convention. It takes 1,215 of 2,429 delegates to win the Republican nomination and it takes 1,968 of 3,934 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.

How are delegates allotted: During most of the early primaries and caucuses, states award delegates proportionally. That means that each candidate gets a number of delegates roughly equivalent to the percentage of the vote he or she has won. Delegates can be awarded based on results either statewide or in individual congressional districts. This process continues to play out even if the outcome is assured — as is currently the case for both Biden and Trump.

There are different types of delegates:

  • “Pledged” or “bound” delegates: A delegate who pledges (on the Democratic side) or is bound (on the Republican side) to support a certain presidential candidate at the national convention. The amount of freedom these delegates have to support other candidates varies by state, by party, and by circumstances.
  • “Superdelegates,” “unpledged” or “unbound” delegates: Republicans have 142 “unbound” delegates who are not technically required to support the candidate who won their state at the outset of the convention and are free to support the candidate of their choice. In the Democratic Party, there are “unpledged” or “automatic” delegates — also known as “superdelegates.” All members of Congress, Democratic governors and other key party leaders are automatically superdelegates. They can no longer vote on the first ballot for president if they can mathematically affect the outcome.

Read more about delegates and how the primaries work.

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